I think I have a book addiction, no seriously. I carry a book bag with me wherever I go and the only thing I have in it are books. My greatest fear in life is finishing a book during a long train ride and not having anything to read for the rest of that trip. To avoid this nightmare scenario, I travel with at least three physical books, and a fully loaded Ipad with both the Nook and Kindle apps installed. Am I the only one with this problem, do we have any other book lovers on this list? If so, I would love for you to share some of your favorite books.
-Stanley
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Take on Trump. On December 15, the Southern Tier Chapter joined groups representing thousands of residents from across the region to urge Governor Andrew Cuomo to #TakeTrumpOn and make New York the national climate and green jobs leader in his upcoming 2017-18 budget proposal. The press conference comes just days after President-Elect Donald Trump falsely claimed that “nobody really knows” if climate change is real. He’s also nominated climate deniers to undermine the life-saving work of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of the Interior, Department of Energy and appointed oil tycoon Rex Tillerson as the nation’s top diplomat.
Progressive Leadership Awards. The year is quickly coming to an end, but before it does, we honored activists and leaders from across the state at our annual Progressive Leadership Awards Gala. This wonderful evening was spent celebrating the amazing work of some of New York’s best and brightest leaders, and whether it was Kate Linker’s ability to build bridges that bring people together, Shaun King’s pen spotlighting injustice, or Linda Sarsour vowing to fight the Trump administration’s racist policies, everyone left the event inspired.
End of the Year Potluck. On December 15, the Long Island Progressive Coalition hosted their end of the year potluck. The event, like the year 2016, was bittersweet. Long Island was once again a hotbed for political action, and we were in the thick of it, but one of our best leaders and a member of the Citizen Action family, Lead Organizer, Olivia Santoro. Olivia is an outstanding organizer and an even better person. We’re sad to see her go, but I know for sure that she will be impactful, powerful and inspiring wherever she goes next.
BLOGS
Donald Trump is filling his presidential cabinet with a group of people who are against everything that actually makes America great. His recent appointment for the Environmental Protection Agency is so deep into the pockets of the fossil fuel industry, if he shakes his foot, he’ll probably strike oil. This blog discusses how we can fight Trump, and shift to 100 percent clean and renewable energy. Click here to read.
IN THE NEWS
Buffalo News. It has been 10 years since the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court decision found that New York State was violating the rights of students to a sound basic education by underfunding public schools. Western New York Chapter leader Eve Shippens penned this op-ed. Click here for the story.
EVENTS
December 20. Trump and Congressional Republicans threaten to take away our health coverage, hike our costs and put us at the mercy of private health insurance corporations. Their plans would take coverage away from every family in America – working families, children, seniors, people with disabilities – everyone who today or in the future will rely on the Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. Join Citizen Action of the Hudson Valley in front of John Faso”s new office to let him know that we want health care protected! Click here to RSVP
January 10. 2016 marks the 10th year since the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) school funding lawsuit created the Foundation Aid formula. Foundation Aid was designed to create an equitable school system for the black, brown and poor children across New York State. But in 2016, the Assembly was the only legislative body to propose 100 percent of Foundation Aid, while the Senate Majority proposed a measly 20 percent and Governor Cuomo proposed a pathetic 6 percent. Join us as we speak to our legislators with other Citizen Action and Alliance for Quality Education volunteers from around the state. Click here to RSVP
January 21. Join millions of people in Washington to advocate for Women’s Rights and protest the Trump agenda. Call the Southern Tier Citizen Action at 607.723.0110. Seats limited.
TAKE ACTION!
We no longer have to “wait and see” what Donald Trump’s administration will be like. His nominees speak for themselves. It’s clear Jeff Sessions is unfit to be Attorney General. Tell Sen. Chuck Schumer to use his position as Democratic leader to reject his nomination! Click here to take action.
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